King's Highway 27, commonly referred to as Highway 27, is a
provincially maintained highway in the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, much of which is now cared for by the city of
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
York Region
The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regional M ...
and
Simcoe County
Simcoe County is located in the central portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. The county is just north of the Greater Toronto Area, stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west. Simcoe County forms part of the ...
. The
Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is the provincial ministry of the Government of Ontario that is responsible for transport infrastructure and related law in Ontario. The ministry traces its roots back over a century to the 1890s, when the pro ...
was once responsible for the length of the route, when it ran from
Long Branch to
Highway 93 in
Waverley Waverley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Waverley'' (novel), by Sir Walter Scott
** ''Waverley'' Overture, a work by Hector Berlioz inspired by Scott's novel
* Waverley Harrison, a character in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Stree ...
. Highway27 followed a mostly straight route throughout its length, as it passed through the suburbs of
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, then north of
Kleinburg
Kleinburg is an unincorporated village in the city of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, an art gallery with a focus on the Group of Seven, and the Kortright Centre for Conservation. In 2001, the villa ...
the vast majority of the highway was surrounded by rural
farmland
Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...
. Today, only the southernmost from
Highway 427 north to
Mimico Creek
Mimico Creek is a stream that flows through Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. It is long, is in the Great Lakes Basin, and is a tributary of Lake Ontario.
The creek's name is derived from the comm ...
is under provincial jurisdiction.
Highway27 was created in 1927, connecting
Barrie
Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically i ...
with
Penetanguishene
Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual ( French and English) community has a populat ...
. It was extended south to
Schomberg in 1934, and later to Toronto by the late 1930s. The route served as a redundancy to
Yonge Street
Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes.
Once the southernmost leg of provincial Hi ...
, and later
Highway 400. Through the 1950s, the portion of Highway27 between Evans Avenue and north of
Eglinton Avenue
Eglinton Avenue is a major east–west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga in the Canadian province of Ontario. The street begins at Highway 407 (but does not interchange with the tollway) at the western limits of Mississauga, as a ...
was expanded into a four-laned
dual highway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
known as the Toronto Bypass (which included portions of the new
Highway401 through Toronto). Beginning in the mid-1960s, this dual highway was expanded into the current
collector–express system and renumbered as Highway427 upon completion at the end of 1971. The majority of the remainder of the route was decommissioned in the late 1990s; the majority of the former highway is now known as York Regional Road27 and Simcoe County Road27, though it retains its Highway27 name within the City of Toronto.
Route description
![427 south of Eglinton](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/427_south_of_Eglinton.png)
As of 2021, Highway27 begins to the south at the offramps from the collector lanes of Highway427 as a four-lane
divided highway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
. While the express lanes, constituting the mainline Highway427, curve around the Richview Memorial Cemetery and shift west by approximately 1km (0.6mi), the collector lanes transitioning to Highway27 continue northward and cross
Eglinton Avenue
Eglinton Avenue is a major east–west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga in the Canadian province of Ontario. The street begins at Highway 407 (but does not interchange with the tollway) at the western limits of Mississauga, as a ...
at a half-cloverleaf interchange (originally meant for the never-built
Richview Expressway
The cancelled expressways in Toronto were a planned series of expressways in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that were only partially built or cancelled due to public opposition. The system of expressways was intended to spur or handle growth in the sub ...
before diving under Highway401. Highway27 ends north of Mimico creek at the end of the divided highway, transitioning into an
arterial road
An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below freeways/motorways on the road hierarchy in terms of traffic flow and speed. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector ro ...
of the same name.
Former route (1997)
Through
Etobicoke
Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...
, it encountered mostly industrial surroundings, meeting Dixon Road at a cloverleaf interchange near the
Toronto Congress Centre
The Toronto Congress Centre (TCC) is an event, meeting and trade show complex in the former city of Etobicoke in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located near Toronto Pearson International Airport. It has over of exhibition space between two buildin ...
, then crossing (but not interchanging with)
Highway 409. Highway27 followed a mostly straight route throughout its length, as it passed through the suburbs of
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, then north of
Kleinburg
Kleinburg is an unincorporated village in the city of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, an art gallery with a focus on the Group of Seven, and the Kortright Centre for Conservation. In 2001, the villa ...
the vast majority of the highway was surrounded by rural
farmland
Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...
. Within the
Regional Municipality of York
The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regional M ...
, Highway27 travelled along the 9th
concession road
In Upper and Lower Canada, concession roads were laid out by the colonial government through undeveloped Crown land to provide access to rows of newly surveyed lots intended for farming by new settlers. The land that comprised a row of lots that ...
of Vaughan and
King Township, approximately 16 km west of
Yonge Street
Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes.
Once the southernmost leg of provincial Hi ...
. It passed along the western edge of suburban sprawl in Vaughan, near the community of
Woodbridge Woodbridge may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Woodbridge, Western Australia formerly called ''West Midland''
*Woodbridge, Tasmania
Canada
*Woodbridge, Ontario
England
*Woodbridge, Suffolk, the location of
** Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency ...
. South of Kleinburg, the highway dipped into the
Humber River valley, connecting with
Islington Avenue
Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the a ...
. North of the valley, it continued through
King Township into the
Oak Ridges Moraine
The Oak Ridges Moraine is an ecologically important geological landform in the Mixedwood Plains of south-central Ontario, Canada. The moraine covers a geographic area of between Caledon and Rice Lake, near Peterborough. One of the most signif ...
, dividing the village of
Nobleton and entering
Schomberg immediately south of
Highway 9, north of which the highway entered
Simcoe County
Simcoe County is located in the central portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. The county is just north of the Greater Toronto Area, stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west. Simcoe County forms part of the ...
.
![Hwy 27 in Schomberg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Hwy_27_in_Schomberg.png)
North of Highway9, the route curved to the east, then continued north, parallel to Highway400. It followed the townline between Tecumseth and West Gwillimbury townships. It travelled through the village of
Bond Head and thereafter met
Highway 89 in
Cookstown
Cookstown ( ga, An Chorr Chríochach, IPA: anˠˈxoːɾˠɾˠˈçɾʲiːxəx is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth largest town in the county and had a population of 11,599 in the 2011 census. It, along with Maghe ...
. As the highway approached Barrie, it curved and followed Essa Road northeast until it met Highway400. Through Barrie, it was
concurrent
Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to:
Law
* Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea''
* Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...
with Highway400 between Exit94 and Exit98, after which it was concurrent with
Highway 26 along Bayfield Street, travelling north and exiting the city. At
Midhurst
Midhurst () is a market town, parish and civil parish in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother inland from the English Channel, and north of the county town of Chichester.
The name Midhurst was first recorded in 1186 as ''Middeh ...
, Highway27 diverged from its concurrency to continue north, parallel to and west of Highway 400. After passing through the village of
Elmvale
Elmvale is a rural town in Springwater Township, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the intersection of County Road 27 and County Road 92 (Queen Street), 20 minutes north of Barrie. Elmvale is home to 2,314 people, as of 2016.
History
Elmval ...
and the end of
Highway 92, the highway abruptly turned to the east to a junction with
Highway 93 in the community of
Waverley Waverley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Waverley'' (novel), by Sir Walter Scott
** ''Waverley'' Overture, a work by Hector Berlioz inspired by Scott's novel
* Waverley Harrison, a character in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Stree ...
, which assumed the section north of here in the 1980s. Continuing north again, the highway meandered towards
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay (french: Baie Georgienne) is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To ...
, departing from the old Penetanguishene Road at Mertz's Corner. The route curved around the western side of a large marsh before entering the community of
Wyebridge, where it crossed the
Wye River. Several kilometres north of Wyebridge, Highway27 met
Highway 12 on the outskirts of
Midland. It then rejoined Penetanguishene Road and continued north into
Penetanguishene
Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual ( French and English) community has a populat ...
, ending at the shoreline of Penetanguishene Harbour.
History
Highway27 was first designated between Barrie and Penetanguishene on September14, 1927.
On March28, 1934 it was extended south to Schomberg via county roads south of Barrie. On August12, 1936, Browns Line and Eaton Road were designated as part of Highway27, creating an isolated section of the route between
Long Branch and
Elder Mills (at the modern intersection of Rutherford Road). On the same date, the road between Schomberg and
Kleinburg
Kleinburg is an unincorporated village in the city of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, an art gallery with a focus on the Group of Seven, and the Kortright Centre for Conservation. In 2001, the villa ...
was designated as part of Highway27, leaving a gap between Elder Mills and Kleinburg, through the
Humber valley. This gap was closed beginning in late 1936. It was completed and opened to traffic in 1938, bringing Highway27 to its peak length of .
In the mid-1950s, the
Toronto Bypass was constructed between
Highway 2A and the
Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW), widening Highway27 to a four lane freeway in the process. This section was reconstructed again starting in 1968 and continuing until the early 1970s to turn it into a twelve-lane collector-express system. The junction with the QEW was built over and required the construction of 19 bridges and the equivalent of of two lane roadway.
The junction with Highway401 sprawls over and required the construction of 28bridges and the equivalent of of two lane roadway, the largest interchange in Canada.
The former was opened to traffic on November14, 1969, while the latter required several more years of construction staging, fully opening on December4, 1971 (though portions were opened in the weeks prior to that), just prior to the renumbering of Highway27 as Highway427. The rest of the route was rebuilt prior to the completion of these interchanges.
The isolated section of Highway27 following Browns Line from south of the QEW to
Lake Shore Boulevard
Lake Shore Boulevard (often incorrectly compounded as Lakeshore Boulevard) is a major arterial road running along more than half of the Lake Ontario waterfront in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to 1998, two segments of Lake Shore ...
(then
Highway 2) was subsequently decommissioned.
On June21, 1968, a new bypass north of Schomberg opened. Originally, northbound traffic had to turn east at Highway9 then north at Leonard Road; a smooth curve is visible at this latter intersection, though it now forms the driveways of several residences. The new bypass made Highway27 a through route at Highway9. In 1982, the section between Waverley and Penetanguishene was renumbered as an extension of Highway93.
The remainder of the route, from Eglinton Avenue north to Waverley, was decommissioned on January 1, 1998.
Within the City of Toronto it is locally maintained, and still known as Highway27; a proposal to rename it to "Etobicoke Drive" was rejected. North of Toronto, it is known as York Regional Road27 and Simcoe County Road27, depending on the
jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels.
Jur ...
.
Major intersections
See also
*
Cancelled expressways in Toronto
The cancelled expressways in Toronto were a planned series of Limited-access road, expressways in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that were only partially built or cancelled due to public opposition. The system of expressways was intended to spur or han ...
References
{{Ontario King's Highways
Toronto highways
027